Make Your Alumni Association Part of Your Job Search Strategy

When you are looking for a job, whether you are unemployed, want to change fields, or move to a new position, you need to put your alumni association on your list job search strategies. Alumni associations are a great resource, as they have assessment tools you can use, directories of employers, hold job fairs, and they help you network with other alums who could help you get a job. It is also possible to find internship and mentorship opportunities that can help you to gain work experience that will help you to stand out from other job seekers.

One such university that is helping their alums is the University of South Florida, in Tampa. They have implemented a program called, Career Quest, that is linking their alumni association and their career center to offer classes, online resources and an opportunity to meet with an alumni career coach. University alumni and career centers also have connections in the community and networks with local businesses that can provide information about jobs available and to link with you the people who hire.

I myself belong to an alumni association and reconnected with a classmate from 10 years ago. As we were catching up on our career paths since we graduated, he learned that I am a university professor, of which he had aspirations of becoming. Through my networks and contacts, he is teaching at a university. This is the power of your alumni assocation; they make you a member when you graduate so take advantage of this powerful resource!